SUGAR GROVE, Illinois (June 14, 2015) -- After
dominating the singles matches on Saturday with
7.5
of 10 available points, the USA was all but
assured
of reclaiming the Palmer Cup over Europe.

But stranger things have happened than a
potential European comeback -- anyone who has
followed the Ryder Cup knows that.

Today USA needed just two points to
reclaim the
Cup, and they got those, and two and a half
more,
for a convincing 18-12 victory. The contest was
held
at Rich Harvest Farms, which first came onto the
radar by hosting the Solheim Cup. The ascendent
course, designed and built by Jerry Rich on his
own
property, will also host the Western Amateur in
early
August. In 2016 it will host the LPGA's inaugural
The Crown, and in 2017, the
NCAA Division I Championships. How did they
win
these major events?

"Patience," said Jerry Rich.
"Lots of patience."

Hunter Stewart’s 4 and 3 victory against
Thomas
Detry put the Americans one match away from
reclaiming the cup. Stewart won the first hole
with
birdie but Detry claimed the next hole and took
the
lead thru No. 4. Stewart squared the match with
birdie at the sixth and took the lead for good
birdie
at No. 8.

Clement Sordet kept Europe’s hopes alive
briefly
after downing Anders Albertson, 2 and 1 in the
first
match. Sordet won the first hole and led
throughout.

But the United States wasted no time in
clinching the Palmer Cup with near simultaneous
victories by Beau Hossler and Ollie
Schniederjans.

Hossler defeated Pep Angles, 2 and 1, while
Schneiderjans bested Max Rottluff, 5 and 3.
Neither
player gained more than a 1-up advantage in the
Hossler-Angles match until Hossler won three
straight holes beginning at No. 14. Schniederjans
won his the first hole and never trailed.

Both Schiederjans (McCormack Medal
exemption) and Hossler (a sectional qualifier)
will
now head for Chambers Bay to compete in the
U.S.
Open. Also heading that direction are Kyle Jones,
Lee
McCoy, and Jack Maguire.

Hunter Stewart and Robby Shelton of Team
USA
became the 15th and 16th players to post a 4-0
record at a Palmer Cup. It was the first time that
multiple players went undefeated and untied
since
Europe accomplished the same feat in 2006.

A tie in the final match (Jon Rahm and Lee
McCoy) meant that Europe could at least leave
knowing they "won the day" 5 1/2 to 4
1/2. The overall record now stands 10-8-1 in
favor of
USA.

Steven Crane of Chicago represented
AmateurGolf.com at the event, and noted the
high
level of integrity and class in which the teams
conducted themselves.

"It was wonderful to be out there -- my
wife and I had a great time today," said Crane.
"I was very impressed by the way both teams
conducted themselves."

Crane also told us that USA Captain Bruce
Heppler enjoyed leading the young team.

"I tried to recruit many of these
guys," joked Heppler.

-- MATCH NOTES --

MICHAEL CARTER AWARD:
Matthias Schwab of Rohrmoos, Austria, and
Hunter
Stewart of Lexington, Ky., were named
recipients of
the award, which is presented to the Palmer Cup
participant that best represents the qualities and
ideals sportsmanship, integrity and upholding of
the
game.

ARNOLD PALMER INVITATIONAL
EXEMPTION: The USA team was given
the
opportunity to select one player to compete in
the
Arnold Palmer Invitational on the PGA Tour next
March. Their pick? Maverick McNealy of
Stanford.
The Haskins Award winner is likely to see action
in
more than a few Tour events in the near future.
And
the special exemption is further evidence that
Arnold
Palmer is committed to growing the Palmer Cup.

TEAM CAPTAINS:
Georgia
Tech coach Bruce Heppler captained the winning
USA
side, while Jean van de Velde (most famous for
his
tragic loss at the British Open in 1999) was
captain of the European side.

ARNOLD PALMER: Scott
Wellington from Arnold Palmer Enterprises
explained that Mr. Palmer really appreciated
shaking hands with each competitor Friday at the
start of the event.

NEXT YEAR: The 2016
Palmer Cup will be played at the Formby Golf
Club in
England.

-- ABOUT THE PALMER CUP --

In 1997 Arnold Palmer was approached by
the
Golf Coaches Association of America regarding
lending his name to an international collegiate
event
between the United States and Great Britain and
Ireland. The event would use a Ryder Cup-style
format and bring together the top eight
collegiate
players in the United States against their
counterparts from GB&I. Palmer, a former
collegiate player himself, has been called
America’s
greatest Ambassador for the game of golf. With
his
blessing and the support of the Arnold Palmer
Golf
Company, the inaugural event was played at his
own
Bay Hill Club in Florida in June 1997.

“I had long thought that an international
competition such as this would enrich the lives
of
young men through the universal bond of the
great
game of golf. This year is particularly significant
since it comes on the centennial anniversary of
the
founding of golf on the college level,” said Mr.
Palmer.

Originally founded as a men's only
competition,
women will be added to the mix starting in 2016.

The annual Ryder Cup-style competition features
top collegiate players from the United States
against their counterparts from Europe.
Each team will now be comprised of 10 players.
The event will continue to feature 24 matches
with every player required to compete twice.
Players must participate in either the four-ball or
foursomes matches and in one of the two rounds
of singles matches.